THE WHAT? Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention has labelled Unilever, P&G and Yves Rocher as international sponsors of war. The classification follows a Russian mandate that all big firms operating in the country contribute directly to its war chest, according to a report published by The Guardian.

THE DETAILS The War & Sanctions Project, which publishes lists of firms and individuals who continue to operate in Russia and therefore pay taxes to the Russian government, is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and National Agency on Corruption prevention.   

Russia’s new regulations could lead to the conscription of Unilever’s Russian employees, The Guardian suggests. Pro Ukrainian groups are protesting outside the manufacturer of Dove’s London headquarters using the brand’s signature marketing style to highlight Unilever’s involvement in the war.

THE WHY? A spokesperson for Unilever told The Guardian that the Russian state would benefit from any sale of its Russian business and it had a duty of care to its employees in the country. “For companies like Unilever, which have a significant physical presence in the country, exiting is not straightforward,” the manufacturer said in a statement. It’s interesting that Unilever’s peers, Henkel, Beiersdorf and Essity have all sold their Russian assets.